“I’d like to speak in te reo Māori. In regards to what I had said in the general debate on September 18 last year, I had expressed words that had upset the House. I withdraw what was said and apologise to the House,” Ferris said.
Jones told the House on Thursday afternoon he was “saddened” Ferris didn’t apologise in “both languages” and said the apology had been “surreptitious”.
“I know te reo is one of our official languages. I know the member is allowed to use te reo. The people, however, who deserve the apology on the basis of a finding of contempt, they ought to have heard that apology in both languages of the Treaty.
“An unwillingness to offer an apology in English shows contempt for the vast majority of the New Zealand members of the public who pay his salary.”
NZ First MP Shane Jones criticised the apology. Photo / Mark Mitchell
He said it was a “small element of seeking to deploy and weaponise tikanga and Māori culture to pretend that if you have Māori blood and you are in this Parliament, you don’t answer to the same rules and regulations”.
The New Zealand First MP described it as an “ethnic warping of democracy”.
Jones made several other criticisms of Ferris related to his view that he didn’t believe Ferris had respect for the obligations and duties that fall upon parliamentarians.
“This member beats to a drum where he believes he is impervious, he is beyond any of this criticism because he is blessed with some pure, non-Muggle’s Māori blood.”
Soon afterwards, Ferris rose to speak. Much of his contribution was in te reo, but he did add in English that he didn’t contest the finding and accepted the ruling.
“I understand the House is uncomfortable with me and I think that’s fine too. Te iwi Māori have long, long fought to be heard appropriately and our presence here is in that vein.”
He said the party’s position would “agitate”, but it was one “our generation was born into, raised, taught, developed into and it will not be going away”.
“It is not disrespectful,” Ferris said.
Referring to Jones’ comments about the language of his apology, Ferris said it was suggesting “the mana of te reo may not be enough”.
“I am not too sure about that,” he said.
“If deeply, truly, this whare believes an apology in te reo Māori may not be enough, I can guarantee you, my apology in te reo Māori means more than my apology in English.”
Jones told the Herald that Ferris’ apology contained “no reference to the fact that he had violated the Standing Orders of Parliament”.
“All he said is he had created a nuisance. Well, he was already a nuisance before he came to Parliament,” the New Zealand First MP said.
It follows the release of a report by the Privileges Committee on Wednesday finding Ferris deliberately misled the House and recommended he be required to apologise for denying he had called other MPs “liars”.
The report said Ferris had continued to deny making the statement during the committee process, but concluded he had “committed a contempt”.
“To find no fault in this case would risk undermining a fundamental principle of the House: that its members behave truthfully and honourably. Members of Parliament, and indeed the public, must be able to trust in the truthfulness of members for the House to operate effectively. We therefore recommend that Mr Ferris be required to apologise to the House,” the report said.
“Politicians call this obfuscation. The art of making something unclear, intentionally vague, ambiguous, to conceal or obscure the truth, to confuse others. Lies, in other words. Many in this House are masters of it and it is a disservice to those who voted you into your positions.”
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said at the time Ferris was claiming members were “masters” of lying. MPs are not allowed to call others liars under House rules.
Ferris replied by saying he had not made that statement. The Speaker later ruled there was an “apparent inconsistency” between Ferris’ speech and his subsequent statement, leading to the matter being referred to the Privileges Committee.
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub Press Gallery office.
